Like Thunder
by MH2002
Summary: Tulio liked the rain. He didn't know why it was soothing to watch rainfall and ripple in water but he didn't care. Listening to it made him feel calm and when it was really hot outside and it hadn't rain in while, which was almost always, it was nice to see. There was just one thing he hated about the rain and it was the fact that sometimes it came with Thunderstorms.


Based on the Prompt:

Imagine this; the whole 'Person A is afraid of thunderstorms and goes to Person B for comfort in the middle of the night' cliché, but B sleeps like a fucking rock and snores obnoxiously and A is having trouble waking them up.

* * *

Tulio liked the rain. The rain was a natural thing, the rain was a good thing. The rain made crops grow. If you had enough rainwater, you could drink it. Tulio just liked the rain. He didn't know why it was soothing to him to watch rainfall and ripple in water but he didn't care. Listening to it made him feel calm and when it was really hot outside and it hadn't rained in a while, which was almost always in Spain, it was nice to see.

There was just one thing he hated about the rain and it was the fact that sometimes it came with Thunderstorms. He hated Thunderstorms; the way the sky could go pitch black in the middle of the day, or they could start at night when you couldn't see them coming. He hated that lightning could strike and kill you at any moment, or set something thing on fire, or the thunder that pounded the sky made so much noise you couldn't hear yourself think. While he made it clear that he didn't like them, the truth was that he was petrified of them. Luckily, they didn't happen very often in Spain, so he was able to keep his secret to himself.

Miguel, shockingly, preferred the sun. He loved laying in the sun on a warm day and watching the day go by. Swimming was a favourite activity of his as well, especially on days where you just couldn't escape the heat. He just loved the sun and everything about it. But that didn't mean he hated the rain, quite the contrary. While he preferred the sun and warmth, he appreciated the rain.

However, his second favourite state of the weather was thunderstorms. He admired them, the fact that the sky would turn so gloomy before the lightning would light up the sky with bright blinding flashes of light that if you blinked you would miss, he also admired how booming thunder was so loud you could hear it throughout the land. Thunderstorm's fascinated him.

But there was a problem, he knew that Tulio didn't like them. Whenever there was one going on, Tulio would either go into another room (if they had managed to rent a cheap room in an inn) or if they were travelling and got caught in one, he would insist on finding shelter, it didn't matter if there was lightning or not, Tulio would drop everything and look for shelter. Tulio would even lose his usual cautiousness and look for shelter in places that normally he would deem too risky, such as populated farms, empty but not abandoned houses and even one time he sneaked them both into an attic of a guy who happened to own a very meddlesome dog who managed to sniff them out.

Miguel never questioned Tulio on his sudden recklessness when thunderstorms came along, mostly because he knew that if Tulio wanted to talk about it, then he would have told him already. The most he ever got out of him when he asked him about it, was he just didn't like storms or the rain. Miguel knew that was a big fat lie, he knew for a fact that Tulio loved the rain. Whenever it would rain he would always find Tulio watching puddles or relaxing with his eyes closed, which was the only time Miguel ever saw Tulio truly at peace; besides when he was asleep.

...not that he watched him sleep or anything...

Miguel just couldn't comprehend why Tulio was so secretive, they'd been together for 5 years and had known each other a lot longer than that. But, he knew that pushing for answers would only push Tulio away from him, so he buried it into the back of his mind and eventually forgot about it.

That was, until, they were mistaken for gods.

* * *

Tulio stared up at the ceiling of the grand temple as he laid in the softest bed that he had ever felt, as well as listen to the soft rain that had started falling not long after it got dark. He knew he should have been asleep by now but he just couldn't. He let out a small sigh as he looked to his side to see his partner soundly asleep next to him, he gave Miguel a tired smile before silently getting up out of the soft bed and quietly creeping over to the temple entrance.

For Tulio, not being able to sleep was a common problem. He was a very light sleeper and any sort of small noise could immediately have him awake and ready to run. In his line of work that was a great aspect to have, but even when he didn't have to worry about how someone could break in or arrest him and Miguel he still found that getting some sleep was almost impossible.

He just couldn't stop thinking. Thinking about what, you may ask? Well, everything. But mostly about what he and Miguel were going to do about their situation.

The life that Tulio had always wanted for him and Miguel was a life full of riches as far as the eye could see, with more power then they knew what to do with and a life where they could be free to do anything that they wanted, free to be themselves, free to be together without being hanged for it. This was the life that El Dorado offered, and it scared the ever-loving shit out of him. It was too good to be true. These people think their both Gods, all-powerful rain and sun gods. The irony of the situation almost made him laugh, how fitting that both he and Miguel were so similar to their godly counterparts, not only in looks but weather preferences.

As much as Tulio wanted to spend the rest of his days living in the mythical city of Gold, he knew it couldn't last. If the native people found out that there fabled 'Gods' were just mortal men. Who knew what they would do? He doesn't like how hard the high priest tries to get them to accept a human sacrifice. If he was willing to do that to his own people, imagine what he would do to two mortal invaders impersonating the thing's he worshipped the most?

The only reason they had made it this far was because of Chel, and he didn't know how to feel about her. He didn't trust her, not in the slightest, but if it wasn't for her knowledge on her own culture, they would have definitely been caught by now.

But she could still become a massive problem, how would the natives feel if they just took her with them? Surely that's not a normal thing that the gods would do, but if they wanted to get out alive and with the gold they would have to work together. And it wasn't that he didn't like Chel, she was a bright young woman who knew how to work on her toes. He respected that, he respected her and if he was being completely honest with himself, she intrigued him; and he could tell that Miguel was interested in her as well. Not that that was a problem, even though he and Miguel considered themselves together, they had both taken up other partners over the years, mostly for one night stands and nights where it was not safe to be together but they had pent up frustrations.

But Miguel would always be his number one. He loved that man so much he didn't even know how to put it into words, not that he would ever express them to Miguel anyway. It was just never safe, while they had taken each other to bed multiple times and they'd had many tender moments over the years; Tulio was just always so paranoid that someone would find out about them. And they both knew how that would end.

With both of them strung up by their necks, only after being tortured for days or even weeks before the public execution, that is.

Tulio wouldn't risk it. He wouldn't risk both their lives, just to say some sappy crap.

As he stared out of the entrance and looked upon the city below, he could see the rainfall against the Stone Temple. He hoped that listening to the Rain would calm his racing mind and for a few minutes that's what seemed to be happening, he closed his eyes and leaned against the entrance. As he listened he could feel his wild mind start to slow down, and anxious thoughts that had once plagued him had come to a quiet halt.

But as he listened, he noticed that the rain seemed to be getting heavier but it did not bother him. After about 5-minutes of listening to the Rain, he felt that he was calm enough to get some sleep. But as he turned around to walk to the bed, he heard it. He could barely hear it under the rain, but he heard it alright. He stopped in his tracks and went a stiff is could be, he stood so still that if you looked at him you would think he was a statue. His breathing started to quicken as he saw a bright flash light up the room, and then he heard it again but it was louder this time. A great booming sound that he always dreaded hearing if it ever rained, he could identify it on the spot.

Thunder.

Loud, deafening thunder.

It was a thunderstorm.

Here of all places, the one place where everything was perfect.

The rain then started coming down so heavy, that it's started coming inside of the temple at an angle, Tulio could feel it at his feet. Why now? Why here? Tulio closed his eyes tightly and covered his ears with his shaking hands and prayed it was a dream, he prayed to anything or anyone that would hear him, that he would just wake up in bed to a new, bright sunny morning in the city of Gold.

But as luck would have it, what came instead was the loudest roar of thunder that he had ever heard in his entire life. At this point, all of his dignity went out the window as he let out a girlish scream and he hurried to the bed. It was too much, it's too much, it's too loud! All of the anxiety that Tulio had just gotten rid of was back and back with a Vengeance as his mind practically screamed at him.

'It's too much! Too loud! It's too loud! Danger is coming!'

Part of Tulio knew that this wasn't true, he knew that it was just noise and inside the temple, the lightning couldn't hurt him. But that did not stop his mind from shrieking at him that he was in great danger. It also didn't stop his lungs from working overtime as his breathing had become short and quick, he tried to slow down his incredibly fast breathing but it was no use. His lungs burned as he reached the bed and quickly got under the covers and tried to cover the noise with his pillow, but it hardly worked at all. He had always hated himself for being so afraid of something so stupid. But at that moment he couldn't think of anything else other than the noise. The roar of the thunder and the unnatural bright flash of the lightning had just always said something off inside of him.

When he opened his eyes once again, he looked over and saw that Miguel was still soundly asleep next to him. How was this man still asleep with all that noise going on, he hadn't even stirred. He was even snoring slightly. While Tulio was a very light sleeper, Miguel slept like the dead, it took him so much just to wake him up in the morning. One time he splashed him in the face with water and it's still didn't wake him up, but it was pretty funny to see him confused about why he was so wet when he did eventually wake up by himself.

It was at that moment that he realised that he was tired of hiding. He'd always been so scared to tell Miguel the truth because he was scared of what he would think of him. Tulio always had a really hard time showing his vulnerable side to anyone, even Miguel. But as the storm raged on both outside and inside Tulio's head, he realised that he couldn't take it anymore. He was sick of doing this alone but he couldn't bring himself to ask for help.

But this was Miguel he was talking about. Probably the most understanding and caring person he had ever met. He had told the other man some things that he promised himself that he would take to his grave and yet, Miguel still stuck with him.

Tulio was once again pulled from his thoughts as another crash of thunder rumbled throughout the land, except this time, it sounded like it was right above the temple. At this point, Tulio's mind had completely shut down all thinking as he threw the pillow off his head, grabbed Miguel's red shirt and violently shook him with all his might.

"Miguel! Miguel, wake up! For the love of God, wake up!" Tulio half-shouted and half-whispered.

Miguel just let out a loud snore that was almost as loud as the thunder outside, if Tulio wasn't so afraid he would have laughed. "Curse you and your dead-like sleeping," Tulio said to no one in particular. "Miguel! I need you right now, please get up!" He tried again in an extremely shaky voice before he shook him once again, but it was no use.

It was hopeless, there was no way that Miguel would wake up before the morning came.

Tulio felt his face grow hot, his eye's stung slightly as tears welled up in them. It was not long before they started to flow freely down his cheeks as he laid back on the fluffy bed and covered his ears but it almost did nothing to block out the sounds of the storm outside. Nothing was holding back the tears now as Tulio sobbed loudly into the open air, he would give anything for the storm to just stop.

He just wanted it to stop...

* * *

Miguel shifted slightly as he slowly woke up to a strange sound. He opened his eyes and as his mind became sharper he could hear what was sounded like thunder outside, but there was something else and it sounded close.

It sounded like...crying?

He could feel something moving behind him on the other side of the bed. He slowly leaned up and turned around to see a lump under the cover, to Miguel, it could have only been one thing.

"Tulio?" He asked in a confused, sleepy voice as he pulled back the covers. He let out a loud gasp at the sight before him.

Tulio looked more scared than he had ever seen in his life, his black hair was an absolute mess, his normally gorgeous ocean blue eyes were bright red from crying and his cheeks had fresh and old tears tracks running down them, with his hands tightly pressed against his ears as he trembled slightly as tears rolled down his beautiful face.

"Tulio! Oh Dios mío, what happened?" Miguel was fully awake now as he shot up and put his hands out, trying to look for any signs of injury or any reason would Tulio be this upset.

But what he did not expect was Tulio to practically launch himself at the blond and wrap himself around him, letting out a loud sob and burying his face in the shorter man's shoulder. Miguel quickly wrapped his arms around the dark-haired man, rubbing his back in a futile attempt to comfort his partner.

"Tulio, what's the matter? Did you have a bad dream or something?" Miguel asked; his voice heavy with concern. Miguel had seen Tulio upset before, but he looked like he just found he was about to burn at the stake, and it disturbed him. Then another loud boom of thunder echoed throughout the temple, causing Tulio to let out the most blood-curdling scream he had ever heard in his life before the taller man tried to bury himself further into the grass green-eyed man's shoulder.

"IT'S THE STORM! I HATE THUNDERSTORMS! THERE TOO LOUD, IT'S TOO MUCH! I CAN'T DO IT! I HATE THEM, I HATE THEM, I HATE THEM!" Tulio finally shouted at the top of his lungs, not holding anything back. It was then that Miguel finally understood. He hadn't lied when he said he didn't like them, but it was more than that, he was afraid of them.

Miguel was in shock but he knew that he had to calm his partner down and fast, he looked like he was going to be sick. "Querido, you need to calm down. Relax, it's just noise, it can't hurt you." Miguel could do nothing but try to talk Tulio down from his hysterical state. Tulio just whimpered as his loud sobbing softened to just quiet hitching noise's.

"I-I know it's just noise but I still hate it!" Tulio's muffled voice sounded from Miguel's shoulder, which he had yet to come up from. Miguel frowned as he listened to distressed noises, it made his heart hurt to hear such sounds coming from the one he treasured most.

"H-Hey, my mother taught me a game to tell where the storm is. You wanna play?" Miguel tried to brighten the mood a little.

"We already know where the storm is! It's right on top of us." Tulio pulled his head up, looking at his lover like he was crazy.

"No, it isn't. But if you wanna play then you need to pay attention." Miguel said in a soft tone as he wove his fingers through the long black hair of his partner that he loved so.

Tulio just shook his head, he didn't have a choice. "Fine, fine. What do we do?"

"First, we wait for the lightning to flash." As if almost on cue, a quick bright flash could be seen from the entrance with a loud boom following not soon after. Tulio flinched but his breathing started to even out as he felt Miguel tighten his hold around his waist. "O-Ok, then what?"

"Then, we count, We count until we hear the thunder again. The higher a number we get, the further away the storm is, ok?" Miguel said in a warm tone, trying to keep the taller man as relaxed as possible.

It sounded completely stupid to Tulio, there was no way that could be true but what else could he do? Miguel was giving him 'The Face' so he had no other choice. "Ok, fine. I'll play along." Miguel beamed before kissing his forehead, Tulio felt his cheeks heat up once more but this time it was not out of fear; he would never truly get used to Miguel doing little things like that.

He was dragged out of his thoughts by another flash of lightning, he took a deep breath and counted softly out loud, "Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, Cinco." Before being cut off by another crash of thunder, though he noticed it didn't sound as loud as before. "Si, Si! That's good, you're doing great. Now we just need to keep trying until it goes away." Miguel used the most encouraging tone he could, his plan seemed to be working.

Another flash, "Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, Cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez." Another crash of thunder but nowhere near as loud as it was when it began, which felt like hours ago to Tulio, but in reality, it was only about 30 minutes. "See, it's going away now. Soon you won't be able to hear it. Do you feel better?" Miguel asked as he combed Tulio's long hair with his fingers.

Tulio didn't say anything, he just nodded against Miguel's shoulder before he let out a loud yawn. It was then he realised just how exhausted he was, his freak out had left his body with almost no energy left, his head hurt and his lungs burned from overuse but at least the storm was almost over.

"Darling, you ok?" Miguel couldn't help but notice that his lover looked pale and his head was damp with sweat, was he really sick after that? "I-I'm fine, just tired..." Miguel took the hint and laid back on the bed, with Tulio's head laid on his chest.

"Hey, Miguel?"

"Yes, Tulio?"

"...You sleep like the dead! I was trying to wake you up before but you didn't even move. Would it take someone stabbing you to get you up?"

"Hey, I woke up eventually, didn't I?"

"Yeah, I guess... thanks for that, I-I really needed that..."

"...Tulio, please don't hide this kind of stuff from me anymore, Ok? If you're scared of something, tell me and I can help. It kills me that you were scared all those times back in Spain and I didn't do anything about it."

"How could you have helped? You couldn't have known, I was secretive for a reason...I'm sorry. You know what I'm like. But no more hiding."

"You promise?"

"Promise..."

"That's good then... Hey, Tulio?"

When Miguel didn't get a response he looked down and saw that the man was already fast asleep, he smiled warmly before holding the taller man closer to his chest, he said one more thing before his own tiredness overtook him.

"Buenas noches querida, Te amo..."


End file.
